RSI In India

Computer Related Injury (CRI) is wreaking havoc on young India’s health. It’s caused when muscles, tendons or nerves are compressed for a long period, resulting in severe pain, numbness and a tingling sensation. Generally, neck, back, shoulders, elbows, arms or wrists are affected. It’s also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

As more people get hooked to laptops, mobiles and even playstations, incidence of CRI has become common. Earlier, wrist pain or numbness in the hand would be common among older people, but in the last few years, it’s the young (20-30 yrs) who’ve been suffering from it. Even schoolchildren are reporting it.

“Youngsters today are spending a lot of time on computers. I get at least 8-10 cases of neck and back pain every week,” says Vikas Gupta, consultant, hand and upper extremity surgery, Fortis Group.

“I have seen nearly 56 youngsters suffering from RSI in the last few years,” says Dr Deepak Sharan, medical director, RECOUP Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, Bangalore. “Incorrect use of iPods, playstations and mobiles have resulted in the disorder.”

The article also discussed a study of 30,000 IT professionals in Bangalore which found that 75% of the participants showed musculoskeletal symptoms related to work. In an interesting twist, the article reports that “Most companies blindly follow ergonomics recommendation from American or European countries, ignoring the fact that an average Indian is at least five inches shorter than his western counterpart.” Incorrect posture was also identified as a major cause of RSI pain.

Randy Rasa

Randy is an engineer/programmer/web designer who has suffered from repetitive strain injury off and on for over a decade.